


Wanna Bet?

by Mischel



Series: Merlin Bingo 2021 [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Court Sorcerer Merlin (Merlin), Hugs, Humor, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Marriage Proposal, Merlin is a Little Shit, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29868759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mischel/pseuds/Mischel
Summary: Arthur lost a bet with Merlin. Now he has to face the consequences and publicly announce that he is a prat and an ass and that he snores. As if things couldn't get any worse, Merlin gives him another paper to read to the (now laughing) citizens of Camelot, only- this paper is very different from the previous one that was filled with insults. And . . . why is Merlin kneeling?Written for my Merlin Bingo card.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin Bingo 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195982
Comments: 26
Kudos: 191
Collections: Merlin Bingo





	Wanna Bet?

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Gwaine is very excited :D Enjoy!

“It will be fun, trust me.”

Arthur grimaced. “It won’t be _fun_ Merlin, this is public humiliation.”

Merlin gave him a grin, just as Arthur expected. “Not for me, it’s not.” Then he sighed and put a comforting hand on Arthur’s shoulder — it felt more mocking than comforting, though. “Think about it this way - after you do this, the people of Camelot will admire your bravery and think of you as one of them — as equal. And isn’t that what you want?”

Arthur bit his lower lip, still thinking of running away.

“And if it makes you feel better, it’s not like you’re lying to them.” Merlin chuckled, which earned him a glare.

“Yes, thank you, _Mer_ lin. That makes me feel so much better.”

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring Merlin’s chuckling. Then he swallowed and looked at the paper in his hands again — and back at his people gathered under the balcony in the courtyard. Never in his life had he expected a moment like this to happen — especially not now, when he was king. Uther could never have prepared him for this.

Uther would _never_ have allowed this in the first place.

And yet here Arthur was — the famous king of Camelot, about to read the most humiliating passage ever written about him to everyone in his kingdom so that they could all laugh about it until the day he died.

And all because he was too stupid to start a bet with Merlin.

A bet about magic, that is.

It wasn’t one of his best moments, really.

He frowned nervously and looked back at Merlin, who just nodded enthusiastically and gave him two thumbs up. He couldn’t have been more obviously looking forward to this. Arthur, on the other hand, was already preparing for the nightmares that would surely come out of this in the future.

With a deep breath, he finally took that final step forward and entered the balcony — and of course the people standing right at the front of the crowd were his knights, all grinning — Gwaine most of all. Merlin must have told them about the bet, Arthur was sure of it.

God, would he _ever_ live this down?

“Alright,” he mumbled to himself, “public humiliation, here it is.” He cleared his throat and looked over at the dozens and dozens of citizens, the paper slowly getting crumpled up in his sweaty fist.

“People of Camelot. I have called you here today because I have lost a bet.”

He paused for effect and noticed most of the people looking surprised, while the knights looked rather smug.

“I have lost a bet to the court sorcerer Merlin, and as a result, I will now read what he has written about me for all of you.”

Arthur pursed his lips as he showed the people the paper and then spread it out on the cold stone railing in front of him. There was no coming back now. Everyone in Camelot would see what a king he was.

One would think that after a while these public speeches would get easier, but his fingers were still cold from the nerves. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat again. Then he started reading.

“I, Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King, am a prat.” He sighed and could hear a soft chuckle from underneath the balcony — no doubt belonging to Gwaine. “I can’t dress myself without the help of my- _very handsome_ servant Merlin, and I always snore when I sleep.”

Arthur had read all the sentences beforehand, but reading them out loud was something completely different.

“I once-” He paused for a second and closed his eyes, bracing himself. “I once fell asleep on my table and woke up with stew in my hair because I was reading. And during training, I fell face-first into a puddle of mud, right after bragging about how good I was. Another time, I ended up with my face in a pile of dung. And I got cursed with donkey ears and couldn’t talk, only bray. I didn’t like that, but I quite enjoyed getting my donkey ears scratched.”

He still couldn’t believe that Gwen had willingly helped Merlin write this all down.

As soon as he said it, he could hear some chuckles and quiet laughs from his audience. But it was alright, he could get through this — there was only one last line.

“But most importantly, and I want all of you to know this, now talk slowly-” Arthur cursed silently for accidentally reading Merlin’s instructions, and continued, enunciating every word. “Arthur Pendragon can really be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

He let out a sigh and dared a look at the citizens. Their looks of confusion and surprise were now replaced by timid smiles and in some cases grins.

Then there was a tap on his shoulder.

“Sorry.” Merlin appeared next to him, taking the paper away from him and shoving another one into his hand. “Another one.”

Arthur couldn’t believe this. “Merlin-” But Merlin was gone, back inside, smiling at him in anticipation and . . . something else. Arthur frowned at him, confused, but Merlin gestured for him to continue, so he let it go and turned back to his people.

He hadn’t even read this paper before. What more could have Merlin possibly wanted him to say? Wasn’t he already humiliated enough?

With a resigned sigh, he opened the folded piece of paper and read out loud. “Arthur Pendragon is a prat. Undoubtedly. And he, just like every person, has his faults. And although he can be an ass sometimes, I love hi-” Arthur trailed off, his eyes checking the words again and again, but no — it was written there. In Merlin’s handwriting.

Eyes slightly wide, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest, and hope blooming in his heart, he continued.

“And I love him. With all my heart. I love him when he snores or brays, and I love him when he falls asleep on the table or has mud on his face. I love him even though he gets stew in his hair, and I love him even when he wants my help to dress him up.”

Fuck, were those tears in Arthur’s eyes?

He swallowed, hands shaking. “I love him — all of him. And that is why-” Arthur frowned at the paper through his blurry eyes. It just stopped. There was nothing else.

“And that is why . . . “ Merlin spoke from behind him, already kneeling on the floor. When Arthur turned around, their eyes locked. “I want you to be mine forever. I want to be yours forever.” He took a deep breath, a smile on his face. “Arthur Pendragon, will you marry me?”

It was as if Arthur had forgotten how to breathe.

The quiet of the castle, the courtyard, even the wind was almost overwhelming. Everyone was waiting for his response, and never once did Merlin’s eyes leave his. It felt like years had passed when Arthur finally took a breath again. And even before his mouth could open, his head was already nodding, his legs carrying him to where Merlin was kneeling.

“Yes,” he mumbled. “Yes, Yes.” Now, more loudly and again. “Yes!”

Merlin got up just in time for Arthur to throw his arms around him, their chests colliding, laughs getting lost in the loud cheering of the people under the balcony, the excited whistling. 

“I love you too,” Arthur whispered into Merlin’s hair, close to his ear so that he would hear him over the loud noise. Merlin nodded against his shoulder. “And I’ll marry you, of course I’ll marry you.”

They pulled apart, only for a moment and only far enough so that Merlin could put the ring on Arthur’s finger. As soon as the ring was where it belonged, Arthur took Merlin’s head and pulled him closer for a kiss, their lips moving softly against each other. Then came another hug.

Never in a million years would Arthur have thought that he’d be happy-crying and hugging Merlin in front of the entire Camelot, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered now was the ring on his finger, Merlin tightly packed in his arms, and the smell of his hair against his cheek.

“I’ve already talked everything over with the council.” Merlin hugged him tighter. “It’s all sorted out. They don’t object.”

His last doubts dying with those words, Arthur kissed Merlin’s neck and closed his eyes. “I love you.” 

“I know. I’m the best.” Merlin sighed loudly, earning a soft, affectionate punch from Arthur.

When they finally parted, the crowd was still cheering, albeit less loudly now. Arthur took Merlin’s hand in his, entwined their fingers, and stepped out onto the balcony again. With a raise of his hand, the people quietened down.

“Today is a day of celebration,” he began. “I am to wed Merlin Emrys, the court sorcerer.” He heard a loud whistle and a glance into the crowd confirmed it was from Gwaine again. “There will be a feast tonight, and I declare tomorrow a public holiday.”

He barely got to finish his sentence, and the citizens were already clapping their hands and cheering again.

Merlin squeezed his hand, making Arthur turn to him. After a quick kiss on the lips, he smirked. “Does that mean I don’t have to work tomorrow?”

Arthur smiled at him. “After the feast and what I plan to do tonight? You won’t want to get up tomorrow at all.”

Merlin raised his eyebrows in interest and leaned up for another kiss, smiling. 

And as Arthur looked back at his people, the knights beaming with pride under the balcony, and Merlin’s hand warming his in a tight grip, he realized that maybe the bet wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to him after all.

**Author's Note:**

> The proposal was almost as much a surprise for me as for Arthur when I was writing this. I was writing down the humiliating stuff when suddenly OH MY GOD WHAT IF :D I hope you enjoyed this little fic, I really miss writing more (my exams barely ended and a new semester is already here help), but I've just started working on a long merlin time travel fanfic that I will hopefully post this year :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


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